In yesterday’s Morning Report, we took a look at the progress from the top ten prospects for the 2018 Bristol Pirates. I noted that this year’s group of prospects looks like it could be a strong one for Bristol compared to the past. Bristol doesn’t get a lot of top prospects to begin with, so the expectations should always be low at this level. The best college draft picks each year go to Morgantown. All of the prep draft picks go to the GCL Pirates. The best of those prep draft picks, as well as the top international prospects in the GCL, will skip Bristol the next year. The level misses a lot of potential prospects each year, but this season has a deep starting rotation and a small group of interesting young hitters, giving it more depth than the average year.
With that in mind, we take a look back at the 2017 Bristol top ten prospects list. Here’s the list followed by comments on each player. I’ll note that Max Kranick didn’t have enough innings to qualify for the list, otherwise he would have been second on the list and everyone else pushed down one spot.
- Braeden Ogle
- Domingo Robles
- Edison Lantigua
- Travis MacGregor
- Alex Manasa
- Jason Delay
- Hunter Stratton
- Ben Bengtson
- Yondry Contreras
- Drew Fischer
Ogle was the clear choice for the top player back then. It was the year before Travis MacGregor added velocity and was able to get swinging strikes with his fastball. Ogle was hitting 98 MPH already, while improving his slider and changeup. Since then, he had the shoulder issue that cost him most of last year. He’s been put in the bullpen this year because he wasn’t holding velocity late, but also because he barely pitched in 2018, so his innings had to be monitored. He looks like the 2017 version in shorter stints, and if he has a healthy 2020, we should see him get regular innings all season.
Robles took the second spot because he showed improved velocity. He was already a strike-thrower, who kept the ball on the ground. At 19 years old back then, his stuff went from sitting 88-89 MPH to 91-92 MPH. His changeup also took a step forward in 2017, as did his curveball, though he now throws a harder slider as his breaking ball. The changeup has continued to improve for Robles. He’s already up to Altoona at 21 years old, but his velocity didn’t improve, which was the hope from a young player who still had room to fill out. He’s actually a touch slower now, sitting between those 2016/17 velocities.
Lantigua was surprisingly released this spring and not surprisingly he signed elsewhere right away. He’s currently in Low-A ball for the Orioles. Lantigua put up solid numbers on offense in both 2017 with Bristol and 2018 with Morgantown. He’s playing at 22 years old this year and we heard that he was hitting well during Spring Training. The guess is that he wasn’t going to be a starter in Greensboro this year and they had four outfielders that they wanted to play regularly. The problem seems to be that they started Jonah Davis and Brett Kinneman there and neither seemed ready for the level, so it appears that there was room for Lantigua after all.
MacGregor had a very rough season in Bristol with a 7.84 ERA and a 1.96 WHIP. It didn’t look as bad in person, with improvements shown to his fastball command, his changeup and his velocity. Those things continued to improve into 2018 and he was having a big season with West Virginia before two injuries ended his season and eventually led to Tommy John surgery. MacGregor is known as one of the hardest workers in the system, so if he can regain his 2018 stuff next year, then he’s still a legit prospect after all that missed time.
Manasa was the 11th round pick of the Pirates, signing for a slightly over slot deal. He was considered raw for a pitcher because he spent more time in the outfield during college, but the Pirates liked what they saw on the mound and the potential he had to continue to get better. Manasa got the #5 spot because he improved his velocity during the season and was already showing control and the ability to pick up strikeouts. He took a step back in Morgantown last year, but has looked much better this season, showing low-90s velocity and a slider that he commands well and uses as an out pitch.
Jason Delay had no business being in Bristol as a college senior from a major school, but he was there to work with the young pitchers. His calling card has always been his defense and more specifically, the way he works with pitchers and runs the game from behind home plate. Delay is up in Altoona now and looking like he could be a solid backup catcher in the majors down the line. His problem is that the Pirates have Arden Pabst and Christian Kelley, who also fit that same mold as a strong defensive catcher who won’t hit enough to start. One of the three could really solidify that third-string role with some slight improvements on the offense. Delay had a crazy hitting streak for two weeks in May, but things went downhill in a hurry after that point and he has yet to recover.
Hunter Stratton was a college starter in the Bristol rotation, who showed some potential, along with having a huge workhorse frame. In the two seasons since he made this list, he has shown spurts of success, then will run into trouble, which is usually due to his control slipping. He shows nice velocity in relief, which looks like his future role. They have tried him as a starter at times, but his stuff plays up better in shorter outings.
Ben Bengtson was an athletic player, with solid defense, some pop in his bat and decent speed. The stats weren’t bad in Bristol with a .774 OPS, though a college player in a league that favors hitters should do well. Bengtson went to West Virginia last year as a reserve infielder and struggled in the role, then got injured this spring on a diving play at third base. He missed about six weeks and as soon as he was healthy, he was cut.
Yondy Contreras was all about upside at this point, as he never showed any true offensive talent on paper. He would crush the ball when he made contact, though he had a huge strikeout rate throughout his career. He could run well (rated as slightly above average), could play defense in center field and he had a cannon for an arm. He was released after repeating Bristol in 2018. It was somewhat surprising considering his tools and his age at the time, but he really wasn’t showing signs of improving his contact rate.
Drew Fischer was on the list because he threw hard, missed some bats, and we needed ten people. He turned out to be better than the number ten prospect, going from someone who could touch 95 MPH, to hitting 97 MPH regularly. He looked like he was on the path to success this year, but an elbow injury has him out this season since early May.
An updated top ten list, using just players who qualified for the list that year, minus the players no longer in the system, would look like this: 1. Ogle, 2. MacGregor, 3. Robles, 4. Manasa, 5. Delay, 6. Stratton, 7. Fischer 8. Ryan Valdes. That’s it at eight spots, since any other players still in the system now didn’t play enough that year for Bristol. Max Kranick would be #1 right now for me, but a spring injury, followed by rehab starts in the GCL, limited his time with Bristol. He actually pitched more innings in the Fall Instructional League a month later.
If you didn’t notice, that updated list is seven pitchers and Jason Delay. In fact, Bristol got a total of 136 at-bats that year from guys who are still around: Delay (107), Raul Hernandez (26), Victor Ngoepe (3).
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 4-3 to the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon. The Pirates will send out Jordan Lyles for his 15th start today. In his last outing on July 4th, he gave up seven runs on ten hits in four innings against the Cubs. Lyles faced the Cubs back in April and gave up one run over six innings, while striking out ten batters. The Cubs will counter with veteran lefty Jon Lester, who has a 3.72 ERA in 94.1 innings, with 93 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP. He faced the Chicago White Sox in his last start and allowed one run over 6.1 innings. Lester started against the Pirates in April, but left after two scoreless innings with a hamstring injury. He has a 2.42 ERA at home this season and a 5.09 ERA on the road.
The minor league schedule includes the second start in Indianapolis for James Marvel. He tossed seven shutout innings in his Triple-A debut. Marvel had a 3.16 ERA in 99.2 innings with Altoona. The Curve will send out Cody Bolton for his third Double-A start. He was originally listed as the starter on Sunday before the All-Star break started, but he was skipped in the rotation, so this is his first outing since July 1st. Steven Jennings gets the start for Greensboro. He has given up one run in three of his last four starts.
Bristol is sending out Tahnaj Thomas for his fifth start. In his first two games combined, he gave up five runs over 1.2 innings. In his last two starts, he has given up two runs over 9.2 innings. Gavin Wallace will get the start for Bradenton. He has a 1.89 ERA over 19 innings in his four starts this season. Since the FSL All-Star break in early June, he has a 1.71 ERA. Morgantown doesn’t have a starter listed, but it will probably be Will Kobos. The DSL Pirates have off for their All-Star break.
MLB: Pittsburgh (44-46) @ Chicago Cubs (48-43) 2:20 PM
Probable starter: Jordan Lyles (4.36 ERA, 78:27 SO/BB, 74.1 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (45-45) @ Columbus (56-34) 7:15 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: James Marvel (0.00 ERA, 6:0 SO/BB, 7.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (48-39) @ Erie (45-41) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Cody Bolton (7.71 ERA, 9:4 SO/BB, 9.1 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (48-42) vs Fort Myers (50-40) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Gavin Wallace (3.74 ERA, 42:12 SO/BB, 55.1 IP)
Low-A: Greensboro (56-34) vs West Virginia (47-45) 7:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Steven Jennings (4.87 ERA, 74:27 SO/BB, 81.1 IP)
Short-Season A: Morgantown (15-12) @ Brooklyn (14-13) 6:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: TBD
Rookie: Bristol (12-11) @ Pulaski (13-9) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Tahnaj Thomas (5.56 ERA, 13:6 SO/BB, 11.1 IP)
GCL: Pirates (7-8) vs Orioles (11-3) 10:00 AM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates1 (18-18) vs Cubs1 (17-19) 10:30 AM 7/15 (season preview)
DSL: Pirates2 (30-6) vs Colorado (17-19) 10:30 AM 7/15 (season preview)
HIGHLIGHTS
From Altoona on Thursday, Jared Oliva triples off the wall, then scores on an error
A bit old, but here is Oneil Cruz hitting a home run last week
Oneil Cruz just hit one a long way against a rehabbing Kevin Gausman. Look at the size difference between him and Travis Swaggerty
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
7/12: Blake Weiman placed on Indianapolis injured list.
7/11: Fernando Villegas assigned to Bristol.
7/11: Eric Wood placed on Indianapolis injured list.
7/10: Pirates release Roger Santana.
7/9: Pirates sign Tsung-Che Cheng
7/9: Pirates sign Deion Walker
7/9: Brendt Citta promoted to Morgantown. Luke Mangieri promoted to Greensboro. Ryan Peurifoy released.
7/8: Trevor Williams reinstated from paternity list. Kevin Kramer optioned to Indianapolis.
7/8: Pirates release Nick Garland and Mason Fishback
7/7: Mason Martin promoted to Bradenton.
7/7: Braeden Ogle and Logan Stoelke placed on injured list. Matt Eardensohn added to Bradenton roster.
7/7: Pirates recall Kevin Kramer. Montana DuRapau optioned to Indianapolis.
7/6: Pirates recall Dario Agrazal, Luis Escobar and Montana DuRapau. Steven Brault place on injured list. Trevor Williams placed on paternity leave. Dovydas Neverauskas optioned to Indianapolis.
7/6: Jake Brentz added to Indianapolis roster.
7/5: Bralin Jackson placed on Altoona injured list.
7/4: Ke’Bryan Hayes and Pablo Reyes activated off Indianapolis injured list. Yefry Ramirez placed on temporary inactive list. Logan Hill assigned to Altoona.
7/4: Gregory Polanco assigned to Indianapolis on rehab.
7/3: Pirates sign Jake Wright and Jasiah Dixon
7/3: Jake Brentz placed on temporary inactive list
7/3: Yandy Vega and Hai-Cheng Gong assigned to GCL Pirates
7/2: Pirates sign a ton of international players
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Seven former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including one who played eight seasons for the Pirates. We start with third baseman Lee Handley, who played for the Pirates from 1937 until 1941, then again from 1944 until 1946. Usually when you see a gap for a player during the early 1940’s, it’s due to military service, but Handley actually injured his arm during an off-season automobile accident and spent those two years in the minors. During his time in Pittsburgh, he hit .269 over 843 games and played solid defense.
As for the other six former players born on this date, we have 2011 outfielder Ryan Ludwick, 1997 relief pitcher Clint Sodowsky, first baseman Rich Aude (1993, 1995-96), lefty pitcher Frank Bork (1964) and 1899 second baseman John O’Brien, who was one of the players going to Louisville in the famous Honus Wagner trade. We also have Jiggs Donahue, who caught for the 1900-01 Pirates. He has an interesting note to his career that you may have never seen in a Major League game, depending on how old you are. Donahue was a lefty catcher, one of four in team history.
On this date in 1958, the Pirates swept a doubleheader in St Louis, winning 10-8 and 8-6 over the Cardinals. The interesting note about this doubleheader is that Vern Law saved the first game, then won the second game by throwing five shutout innings. He only faced one batter in the first game, but Curt Flood represented the winning run and Law was able to get him to ground out to Bill Mazeroski to end the game. Mazeroski had six hits on the day.
